If there's one contender for the most talked-about news over the weekend, it's the temporary ban of TikTok in the United States. This action followed a congressional act labeling it a "foreign adversary controlled application," which finally took effect on Sunday. However, you're likely aware that President-elect Donald Trump quickly pledged to reinstate the service, and ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, swiftly brought the app back online. Yet, not all ByteDance applications have returned with the same enthusiasm.
Take Marvel Snap, for instance, the popular comic-themed card battler. As reported over the weekend, Marvel Snap, along with other releases from ByteDance subsidiaries like Moonton's Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, was also taken offline in the U.S., displaying a message indicating a ban. ByteDance's message was clear: accept all of their offerings, or get none at all.
The real surprise? It appears that Second Dinner, the developer behind Marvel Snap, was not forewarned about this move, leaving them to scramble and manage the fallout on social media over the past 24 hours. Despite this, they've committed to restoring Marvel Snap to service quickly, but the situation raises significant and troubling questions.
Catch!You don't need a political science degree (which I don't have, by the way) to recognize that TikTok's strategic offline move and the pointed message singling out Trump as its savior was a calculated play by ByteDance to stir conversation. This tactic seems to have worked, enabling ByteDance to dramatically re-enter the U.S. market.
However, this political maneuvering also impacted other gaming releases, seemingly leaving ByteDance's developers in the lurch. Second Dinner has had to offer enticing free rewards to compensate for the downtime once players regain access to their cards, hopefully by the time this article is published.
While it's unlikely that Second Dinner will abandon their lucrative partnership with ByteDance, this incident has undoubtedly shaken their confidence. The message seems to be that mobile gaming is less of a priority compared to ByteDance's lucrative social media operations.
Game overThis isn't the first time ByteDance has indicated that gaming takes a backseat to their social media empire. In 2023, their gaming division underwent massive layoffs, canceling many projects before they could be released.
Since then, Marvel Snap's success suggested that ByteDance might be shifting towards partnerships rather than developing their own games. However, this significant breach of trust could make other potential developers and publishers wary of getting entangled in ByteDance's next political controversy.
Disney, too, must be feeling the impact, especially with the recent release of NetEase's Marvel Rivals, which boosted mobile gaming with a crossover collaboration this month. While ByteDance may have outmaneuvered politicians, players, developers, and IP-holders are likely to be more cautious.
They think it’s all over…There are already murmurs that ByteDance might just be the beginning, with Tencent, NetEase, and other Chinese gaming companies potentially in the crosshairs next. The FTC has already targeted MiHoYo over loot boxes, and even this high-profile conflict and its anticlimactic resolution might not deter the next politician looking to make a statement against gaming.
What could happen next? Marvel Snap's sudden removal caught the attention of many, especially those indifferent to TikTok, showing how ByteDance's calculated risk paid off. However, this sets a concerning precedent: what happens when people's favorite hobbies are at the mercy of political decisions made thousands of miles away? The saying about bread and circuses might just come back to haunt everyone involved.
